NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — (www.brokenthenovel.com) Broken by New York Author Tanille Edwards is a young adult novel that stars Milan, the girl everyone wants to be but no one really knows. Milan finds herself in a burgeoning supermodel career right at the start of her senior year in high school. Nothing like expected, Milan is struggling to identify with her friends and family. Milan, like every teenage girl, is fighting insecurities. Milan goes to great lengths not to be known as hearing impaired. To top it all, Milan finds herself longing for a lost love.

Broken is a novel conceived in the new media era where books and music can be consumed on a single platform. Every copy of Broken includes a link to download the Broken Soundtrack that includes free music from author & singer/songwriter Tanille. Tanille makes the heart-throbbing longing for a lost love come alive in her single “Baby Comeback to Me” as part of the Broken Soundtrack. Broken invites readers to enjoy a new spin on Young Adult Romance.

To celebrate the Bestselling Romance status, Fire Flies Entertainment is offering Broken for $0.99 through February 21st worldwide, exclusively on iBooks: tw.apple.com/BestsellingRomance

The Internet Buzz about “The Winter Boy” (Pixel Hall Press) continues to grow, as it is featured today as an Amazon Kindle Daily Deal, lauded by reviewers and bloggers as “a masterpiece” and now recognized by “Locus Magazine.”

Every February, the respected journal “Locus Magazine” publishes its annual Recommended Reads List. Its editors and other professional critics sift through the science fiction, fantasy and other speculative fiction published in the previous year, and select novels and short stories they deem worthy of special recognition. This year, Pixel Hall Press’s novel “The Winter Boy” by Sally Wiener Grotta is included in this prestigious list.

The Internet Buzz Builds about “The Winter Boy”

This recognition of “The Winter Boy” by “Locus Magazine” adds to the buzz that is building about this unusual novel which is steadily gaining attention from reviewers, bloggers and readers.

Even the marketing gatekeeper Amazon has given “The Winter Boy” a nod, featuring it as a Daily Deal in today’s Kindle newsletter.

As Wendy Delmater Thies wrote in “Abyss and Apex Magazine,” “[It’s] an amazing, tour-de-force literary work completely unlike anything I have ever read…. People will be studying and talking about ‘The Winter Boy’ for years to come.”

The public is welcome to download a significant excerpt of “The Winter Boy” at no charge, to read for themselves why reviewers are calling this novel “enthralling” and “intriguing.”

About “The Winter Boy”

Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood, Mary Doria Russell and Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Winter Boy” explores important political and social issues within a dynamic, character-driven otherworld, wrapped up in masterful storytelling.

The Valley of the Alleshi is the center of all civilization, the core and foundation of centuries of peace. A cloistered society of widows, the Alleshi, has forged a peace by mentoring young men who will one day become the leaders of the land. Each boy is paired with a single Allesha for a season of intimacy and learning, using time-honored methods that include dialog, reason and sexual intimacy. However, unknown to all but a hidden few, the peace is fracturing from pressures within and beyond, hacking at the very essence of their civilization.

Amidst this gathering political maelstrom, Rishana, a young new idealistic Allesha, takes her First Boy, Ryl, for a winter season of training. But Ryl is a “problem boy” who fights Rishana every step of the way. At the same time, Rishana uncovers a web of conspiracies that could not only destroy Ryl, but threatens to tear their entire society apart. And a winter that should have been a gentle, quiet season becomes one of conflict, anger and danger.

Published by Pixel Hall Press in hardbound, paperback and all eBook formats, “The Winter Boy” is available from all bookstores including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple iBookstore.

About Sally Wiener Grotta

Sally Wiener Grotta is a consummate storyteller, reflecting her deep humanism and appreciation for the poignancy of life. As an award-winning journalist, she has authored hundreds of articles, columns, essays and reviews for scores of glossy magazines, newspapers, journals and online publications. She has also written numerous non-fiction books. Her fiction includes “Jo Joe,” a Black Bear, Pennsylvania novel. A member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Sally Wiener Grotta is a frequent speaker at conferences, schools and other organizations on storytelling, creativity, and the business of writing.

About Pixel Hall Press

Pixel Hall Press is a relatively new, old-fashioned small publishing house whose focus is on discovering literary gems and great stories that might otherwise be overlooked. Our mission is to publish books that energize the imagination and intrigue the mind, and to be a conduit between readers and provocative, stimulating, talented authors.

In this era of digital technology, Wall Street involvement and merger mania, many mainstream publishers seem to have lost sight of core principles and the purpose of publishing. At the other end of the spectrum is the veritable avalanche of self-published books that are notoriously uneven in quality. Small boutique imprints like Pixel Hall Press are reclaiming the heart and soul of publishing by reviving the idea that a publisher’s “raison d’être” is finding and nurturing great writers, and to provide readers with beautiful, meaningful, truly enjoyable books.

Every publisher, entrepreneurial author and literary agent is aiming to launch the next bestseller. Many have spent years trying to hit it big by offering the first eBook in a series for free, or an eBook bundle for 99 cents. But after experimenting with various marketing strategies, their eBook sales too often plateau or peter out before achieving the ultimate sales goal. Worse still, few publishers know how to play the kind of long game that keeps sales ticking upward to give a book real staying power.

EBook distributors working with a wide range of content owners and retailers are among those with the broadest view of the strategies that are succeeding. The most technically savvy of these distributors are also innovating new tools with proven ability to extend a publisher’s marketing reach over many titles. But in today’s fast-moving digital marketplace, it can be hard to find key players who are also willing to share success stories.

At INscribe Digital, we work with a broad base of hundreds of publishers, authors and literary agents, whose successes underscore some basic principles that go a long way in laying the foundation for eBook bestsellers. Allow us to share some of our best insights with you.

These four areas make up the foundation of success owned by big publishers. But small publishers and independent authors can take advantage of these approaches too.

Today, we’re going to wrap up our blog series by discussing Free eBooks. Please check out our previous discussions of pre-order, general merchandising, and discount merchandising.

The Best Things in Life are Free

Free books have been available to readers for centuries: the Library of Alexandria still lives on in legend. Free eBooks from retailers serve the same purpose as the ones checked out at libraries; they help readers find new favorite authors at little risk. That means that new devices bring new customers who will be experimenting with the eBook apps, comparing all the bells and whistles.

Nathan Maharaj mentioned that many Kobo customers download free books as their first reads, but then later move on to paid content, often by the same author. Free is a great way to find new readers for all your content!

Find Your Niche

Erin and Nathan both agree that genre readers are not just voracious readers, but they love free. While the American Bookseller Association describes an avid reader as someone reading over 10 books a year, genre readers can be reading that many a month. That means that they are always in the market for new authors, and are more likely to give an unknown name a try. It could also mean that they need to stretch their budget a bit, which means that they will check out the freebies. Are you writing genre fiction? This might be your gateway to popularity.

Three’s Not a Crowd: It’s a Requirement

There’s a little catch to free: it only works well for authors if they have more books available to sell. If you give your only book away for free, you might find readers – but they’ll forget about you by the time your second book comes out. At Harper Collins, Erin uses free first books in series to support authors who have several books available for sale. That way, the reader gets the first book free, but they’ll pay full price to see what happens next. If it’s your only book, giving it away to likely readers just means they will never pay money for your writing…they don’t have an opportunity.

The Exception to that Rule…

Okay, there is one exception: it’s okay to give your only book away for free if you get something great in return. Susan Ruszala told us about the best practices for NetGalley, and we concur; NetGalley can get you a lot of attention for your title when it is available for pre-order. NetGalley provides access to librarians, booksellers, active bloggers, and people who review books on multiple retailers. That free book can pay off in great publicity and attention. It’s critical to reach back out to those reviewers once your book is on-sale to ask them to add their reviews to the retailer sites.

Advertise, Advertise, Advertise

If you’re going to give your book away, don’t forget to lead the reader to their next great read. Utilize your back matter to suggest more books, and let us create retailer-specific links to make it easier for the customer. They clicked on you once; make it easy for them to click on you again! Ultimately, that free book may be the best thing you ever did to find readers.

Thanks for joining us for our Creating an eBestseller series! We look forward to providing you more great ways to drive your sales.

Pixel Hall Press, a small boutique publisher, is using one of the Big Five’s strategies to make the public more aware of its two top Autumn titles. They will report on its effectiveness to help other small publishers.

Pixel Hall Press, a small boutique publisher, noticed that some books – particularly the top titles from big publishers – seem to automatically achieve high rankings on Amazon and other bookstore sites, before they’re even available for sale. But those rankings are based on sales; in other words on how many people have actually bought that particular book on that website. How do they do it? By offering the book for pre-order weeks or even months before its publication date.

“We have two books coming out this autumn that are so intriguing and beautifully crafted that they deserved every chance we could give them,” Cynthia Dadson, the Director of Marketing for Pixel Hall Press, explained. “So, I set out to see how we could use a prepublication discount to give Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories by Nancy Christie and The Winter Boy by Sally Wiener Grotta a boost right out of the gate.”

The problem was that small publishers don’t have the relationship with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple or the other book websites that larger houses do. “It’s like a closed shop,” Cynthia Dadson said. “You need to have a larger footprint, a bigger inventory of books, before those sites will even talk to you. And we have no intention of ever becoming large.”

Then, Pixel Hall Press signed with INscribe Digital, a major eBook distributor, who has a similar relationship with Amazon and other book sellers as the big publishers. Now, both books – at least the eBook editions – are available on discounted pre-order. On their publication dates, the prices will go back up to retail, the pre-ordered eBooks will be automatically delivered to customers’ eReaders, and all those sales will be applied to the books’ ranking that first day.

“It’s an experiment for us,” Cynthia Dadson explained. “Now, the trick is to get the word out, so Christie’s and Grotta’s fans can save money, support two great authors, and have the opportunity to read two wonderful works of fiction.”

About Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories by Nancy Christie

“These 18 stories… are complex, varying, and thoroughly imaginative, introducing a fresh voice to fiction that is both ironic as well as gorgeously gloomy… heart wrenching, and familiar.”

~Mary Sellers, “What Is That Book About”

The characters in Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories are unable or unwilling to seize control over their lives, relying instead on coping methods that range from passive, aggressive, humorous and hopeful. But the outcomes may not be what they anticipated or desired. Will they have time to correct their course or will they crash?

Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories will be published in paperback and eBook (all formats) on September 9th. Until then, is it available as a discounted pre-order on Amazon, Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other websites.

“Nancy Christie seems to have the knack of pulling off the perfect short story.”~ Suzy Wilson

About The Winter Boy by Sally Wiener Grotta

Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood, Mary Doria Russell and Ursula K. LeGuin, The Winter Boy explores important political and social issues within a dynamic, character-driven otherworld, wrapped up in masterful storytelling.

A cloistered society of widows have forged a centuries-long peace by training the young men who will be leaders using sex, reason and storytelling. But a young widow uncovers a web of conspiracies. And her first season that should have been a gentle, quiet time with her Winter Boy becomes one of conflict, anger and danger.

The Winter Boy will be published in hardbound, paperback and eBook (all formats) on November 6th. Until then, is it available as a discounted pre-order on Amazon, Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other websites.

“The Winter Boy is an intriguing story that’s unlike any other I have read.”

~ L.A. Sherman

About Pixel Hall Press

Pixel Hall Press is a relatively new, old-fashioned small publishing house whose focus is on discovering literary gems and great stories that might otherwise be overlooked. Our mission is to publish books that energize the imagination and intrigue the mind, and to be a conduit between readers and provocative, stimulating, talented authors.

In this era of digital technology, Wall Street involvement and merger mania, many mainstream publishers seem to have lost sight of core principles and the purpose of publishing. At the other end of the spectrum is the veritable avalanche of self-published books that are notoriously uneven in quality. Small boutique imprints like Pixel Hall Press are reclaiming the heart and soul of publishing by reviving the idea that a publisher’s “raison d’être” is finding and nurturing great writers, and to provide readers with beautiful, meaningful, truly enjoyable books.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – New York Times bestselling novelist Eileen Goudge has signed with INscribe Digital for retail marketing and distribution of her forthcoming eBooks. The deal represents a bold commitment to digital-first publishing for Goudge, who has achieved significant success with her eBooks, after building her career in print with 15 women’s fiction novels published by Penguin Putnam and Simon & Schuster, including the perennially popular novel Garden of Lies, published in 22 languages. The new arrangement with INscribe Digital will start with the digital publication of Bones and Roses, a new mystery available for preorder at all major retailers now, and going on sale on August 5, 2014.

“Eileen Goudge is one of today’s most popular women’s fiction authors. We are immensely proud to support her digital publishing plans, as she picks up the gauntlet laid down by Stephen King when he published Riding the Bullet as a digital-only book,” said Anne Kubek, Executive Vice President and General Manager of INscribe Digital.

“I am thrilled to explore new roads in my writing and my career with this decisive move to eBook-first publishing with INscribe Digital,” said author Eileen Goudge. “I believe that there is a strong crossover between mystery and women’s fiction readers, and also that eBooks are the best way to reach them. INscribe Digital’s cutting-edge expertise with retailers, and in marketing to digital audiences, makes them a powerful partner in today’s eBook marketplace.”

Retailers such as Kobo are also hailing Goudge’s move to digital-first publishing. “As a digital retailer, we have seen a number of commercial authors achieve considerable success with eBook-first publishing. It’s exciting to see an author of Eileen Goudge’s stature going this route,” said Nathan Maharaj, Director of Merchandising at Kobo.

About Eileen Goudge

New York Times bestselling novelist Eileen Goudge wrote her first mystery, Secret of the Mossy Cave, at the age of eleven, and went on to pen the perennially popular Garden of Lies, which was published in 22 languages around the world, and numerous other women’s fiction titles. Bones and Roses is the first book in her Cypress Bay Mysteries series. She lives in New York City with her husband, television film critic and entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon. Keep connected with Eileen at http://www.eileengoudge.com.

About INscribe Digital

INscribe Digital is a technology company specializing in next-generation e-publishing services and tools. Since 2010, the San Francisco-based company has distributed more than 30,000 ebook titles on behalf of authors and literary agents as well as major book publishers, and university and independent presses. INscribe Digital’s Athena content delivery platform provides maximum transparency in distribution and sales reporting. Through strong retailer relationships, the company also delivers customized marketing and sales solutions for diverse clients and a range of eReading devices. INscribe’s team of book industry professionals – together with its parent company, Isolation Network – leverages a decade of experience in delivering music and other digital media assets to leading retailers worldwide. Engineers also make up nearly half of the INscribe Digital staff, offering flexible and scalable solutions for eBook production, conversion, marketing and distribution. For more information, visit www.INscribeDigital.com

With this third installment, we highlight how to use discounts to market your titles. Please check out our previous discussions of pre-order and general merchandising. Coming soon: free books!

Invest in the Future

Discounting is important. And it is even more important to do it strategically. If you are going to offer a discount, what do you expect to get in return for that investment? If it doesn’t pay off immediately, what can you do to improve your results? Discounts need to give you a positive return.

EBook customers seem to be price-conscious readers. Nathan Maharaj at Kobo agrees on the importance of price point. Every retailer has dedicated space for eBooks under a certain price: for example, the main NookBook page has a dedicated icon for Books Under $2.99. The marketing team at INscribe Digital campaign aggressively for placement in those dedicated spots on behalf of our clients. When publishers decide to discount, readers see those discounts.

Reel Them In

Erin described how HarperCollins utilizes discounting tactics. When a new book releases, her team often marks down the authors’ earlier works to create trial and new fans. This is particularly effective for authors with a larger backlist.

Discounting backlist is also a great reward for existing fans, who may want an electronic copy to go with their physical edition. And leveraging older backlist as a discounted title is a great way to promote an author in time for a new (full price) release. It also messages that the title is discounted for an event, so customers don’t expect the price to stick around: that creates urgency.

It Takes a Village

Another reason that authors discount is to build readership. If a great book isn’t selling at all, perhaps it is time to find a new audience who will become its advocate. Here, the risk is minimized by the low sales trend. After all, selling 10 copies at $1.99 beats selling 0 copies at $9.99!

Pricing should be handled judiciously. It’s important to leave yourself a little room for discounting; some retailers only promote titles on a large scale if they can offer the lowest price.

This strategy works best when supported by social media, blogs, and marketing dollars: an investment in outreach will expose readers to this good deal! We’ve seen success with Library Thing, Goodreads, Facebook advertising, blog tours and BookBub. This is the time to pull all the levers you can to get the word out.

We Get Buy with a Little Help from Our Friends

The very best time to discount is in a retailer-supported promotion. Amazon’s Kindle Daily Deals show amazing sales and a long tail lift. INscribe Digital titles have seen unit growth as much as 1000-6000x day to day, staying strong for the rest of the month. After 30 days, the titles will settle to a new normal, but INscribe titles all compare very favorably between the two weeks after the deal to the two weeks before the deal.

Why do retailer promotions work? Because they have guaranteed outreach and marketing. Kobo’s track record with email is very impressive, and they do a great job of targeting promotions at times readers are shopping. Other retailers leverage daily deal emails and device notifications, and social media for the retailers often pick up these titles for their daily messaging. When authors amplify and share these promotions, it works to everyone’s advantage.

There are two important things to keep in mind here: good planning and flexibility. Retailer driven promotions require signing up well in advance, and often have requirements for participation. Also, there’s no guarantee you will be included; but nothing ventured, nothing gained!

We’ve Got Your Back (Matter)

If you are going to discount, consider updating the back matter of your book and adding retailer-specific links. This acts as a timely place to advertise your next book while providing an easy one-click buy option to a customer looking for her next read. By making the purchase process so easy, it truly becomes a service!

Think of discounting as an important tool in your marketing toolkit. It’s important to use the tools correctly in order to build new readers, extend your reach and drive your sales.

Charleston, SC – July 9, 2014 – Arcadia Publishing today announced the acquisition of The History Press Inc., a wholly owned US based subsidiary of UK based The History Press Ltd, in a private sale. The deal creates the largest publisher of local and regional books in the U.S. with a staggering combined total of more than 12,000 titles available for sale.

Arcadia is committed to maintaining the creative aspects of both businesses and will keep existing brands entirely separate.

In a message sent to Arcadia and History Press employees late Monday, Arcadia Publishing CEO Richard Joseph shared the following:

“I have given a lot of thought as to what we are about and where our future lies. The combination of Arcadia Publishing and The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer – to their community, their neighbors, and their past. We are committed to the pursuit of new growth opportunities and to increasing the availability, depth, and breadth of local books. Driven by genuine pride in our work and an infectious enthusiasm for what we do, we are universally dedicated to the success of our authors, employees and stakeholders.”

Commenting on the sale, Stuart Biles, Chief Executive of The History Press Ltd said, “We are enormously proud of the fine company we have built together in just a few short years. We’re extremely sad to see the business leave our group, but have to recognize the significant benefits which will be achieved by joining History Press Inc. with Arcadia, both creatively and operationally. We thank Brittain Phillips for his leadership, and his team, for their substantial contribution to our business.”

The new partnership will strengthen the foundation of both businesses and Joseph is hugely excited for the future. “We’re joining the talented staff of two great companies and together we’ll continue creating books people love. We hear moving stories from readers every day that remind us that the content we produce is personal, relevant, and valuable,” he said.

About Arcadia Publishing

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Best known for its iconic “Images of America” series, each book chronicles the history of small towns and downtowns across the nation in a unique pictorial format. Discover more than 9,000 local books at www.arcadiapublishing.com.

About The History Press Inc.

The History Press brings a new way of thinking to history publishing—preserving and enriching community by empowering history enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences. Since 2004 we have published more than 2,000 of the highest quality local and regional titles from coast to coast. Discover more at www.historypress.net.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Nine of the hottest romance authors – including Lorhainne Eckhart, Nina Bruhns and Taylor Lee – are rewarding their fans with Naughty Nine, an e-book anthology of nine stories that will cost only 99 cents for a limited time. Packed with confident women, sexy men and plenty of adventure and suspense, the collection will be released to retailers and libraries in the U.S. and internationally on Tuesday, July 8, 2014. Review copies are available upon request.

“We’re excited to be featuring such a large group of award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors in a single collection,” said Kelly Peterson, Director of Client Services at INscribe Digital. “This anthology is a great way for romance readers to save their summer pennies and fill their e-readers at the same time. It’s like the Lollapallooza of romance, and well-timed to join the current trend toward digital boxed sets of original stories at Amazon and other retailers.”

Three of the authors in the anthology – Lorhainne Eckhart, Taylor Lee, and Patricia Mason – have also inked distribution deals with INscribe Digital for additional e-book titles. “Romance readers are increasingly finding and buying their books online, through retailer promotions and specialized websites and blogs,” said author Taylor Lee. “INscribe Digital has great retailer relationships, and knows how to drive sales in the romance eBook market. We’re excited to work with them.”

About the Authors:

Nina Bruhns is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of adventurous romantic thrillers that blend interesting characters with twisty suspense and hot romance. She has published more than 30 award-winning novels. For more information, go to www.ninabruhns.com.

Lorhainne Eckhart is a 2013 Readers Favorite Award winner, and an Amazon.com top 100 bestselling author in the genres of Romance, Westerns, and Police Procedurals. Her novel The Forgotten Child was an Amazon #1 bestseller in Westerns. For more information, go to www.lorhainneeckhart.com.

Karen Fenech is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic suspense, and the author of The Protectors series. When not writing, she loves to spend time with her family, to shop, watch movies, and kick back in a comfortable chair to read. For more information, go to www.karenfenech.com.

Rita Herron is the award-winning author of more than 60 romance novels, including the critically acclaimed Slaughter Creek series from Amazon.com. For more information, go to www.ritaherron.com.

Taylor Lee writes sizzling romantic suspense. Her heroes are hot men and hotter women. They fight hard, love hard, and don’t mince words. Love, passion and ridding the world of evil? What’s not to like? For more information, go to www.taylorleebooks.com.

Mary Leo is an Amazon.com bestselling author of romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense and mystery novels. Trusting Evil, based on a true crime, and The Spia Family Presses On, a humorous mystery, are her latest releases. For more information, go to www.maryleo.com.

Julie Leto is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 45 novels, all featuring strong, confident women and super-sexy men. She now publishes the Dirty series & the Phantom series independently. For more information, go to www.julieleto.com.

Dana Marton is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author who has thrilled millions of readers around the globe with her fast-paced stories about strong women & honorable men who fight side by side for justice and survival. For more information, go to www.danamarton.com.

Patricia Mason is the award-winning author of steamy romantic suspense, paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction, including In Deep Shitake and Entanglements. For more information, go to www.patriciamason.net.

Jill Sanders is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Pride Series, the Secret Series and the West Series. She continues to lure new readers with her sweet and sexy stories. For more information, go to www.jillsanders.com.

About INscribe Digital:

INscribe Digital is a technology company specializing in next-generation e-publishing services and tools. Since 2010, the San Francisco-based company has distributed more than 30,000 ebook titles on behalf of authors and literary agents as well as major book publishers, and university and independent presses. INscribe Digital’s Athena content delivery platform provides maximum transparency in distribution and sales reporting. Through strong retailer relationships, the company also delivers customized marketing and sales solutions for diverse clients and a range of eReading devices. INscribe’s team of book industry professionals – together with its parent company, Isolation Network – leverages a decade of experience in delivering music and other digital media assets to leading retailers worldwide. Engineers also make up nearly half of the INscribe Digital staff, offering flexible and scalable solutions for eBook production, conversion, marketing and distribution. For more information, visit www.INscribeDigital.com

The biggest takeaway? A four-part comprehensive marketing plan is key:

These four areas are the cornerstones of success owned by big publishers. But smaller publishers and authors like you can take advantage of these approaches too.

The Early Bird Gets the Sale

As mentioned in our earlier post about pre-orders, creating a long runway is key. Each retailer merchandises their site on different schedules, but each generally works a full quarter ahead. That means they are booking merchandising placement for September in June! Small publishers who don’t plan far enough ahead are often shut out of prime placement as a result.

Nathan Maharaj compares brick and mortar stores with their web counterparts. Each store features their top-selling content right when you walk in the door. At e-tailers, the lion’s share of their business comes from the front page and category pages of the site. Genre readers tend to bookmark those pages and visit regularly, although nothing beats the front page. “Above the Fold” is also key; it’s great to get placement that doesn’t require scrolling down.

Other top spots are the suggestion areas of the site: “customers who bought this” and editorial areas. “Customers who bought this” areas are driven by algorithms, and are heavily dependent on a title’s first week sales. If you are marketing your titles early enough, you can really make this count with strong merchandising at launch. The nice thing about “customers who bought this” is that they show up on individual title pages. So if you can find big titles that are similar, utilize similar BISACs. That way, the algorithms will work for you, not against you.

So what time is the right time to pitch? Erin Gorham told us that she merchandises titles six months to a year before they are released. How close to that number can you get?

Think Global

While sometimes bestseller lists in different countries mirror each other, Nathan notes that they will most likely be different. Is your author from Great Britain? Is the title particularly relevant in Latin American countries? Make sure your team knows the “sweet spots” for each of your titles. That way, even if you can’t get full worldwide placement, you will still be featured where it counts.

You’ve Got Mail

Per Susan Ruszala, NetGalley’s digital galley program has shown outstanding success—mostly in part to their strong targeted e-marketing campaigns. Nathan agreed in the power of email; he said that outreach is consistent and worthwhile, especially in reaching genre readers. Getting your titles into these big email blasts involves signing up for promotions and placement. As with pre-orders, the longer the runway, the easier this is.

You’ve Made a Sale: What Now?

Catch your readers at the end of your book with the opportunity for a new beginning. Place links to the next title in the series—or other similar titles on your list. The reader is already looking for what to read next. Make that decision easier for her! Most importantly—keep your backmatter relevant and update it often.

At INscribe Digital, we recommend that you go all the way, and make retailer specific versions of your title. By putting in active links to your other books, your reader’s next purchase becomes as easy as one click. As Amazon can tell you, one-click purchasing works! And now you can make it happen.